LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ:TREE) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seven analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $68.60.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on LendingTree in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $50.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of LendingTree from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 30th. Needham & Company LLC restated a “buy” rating and set a $60.00 price target on shares of LendingTree in a report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of LendingTree in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On LendingTree

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of TREE. Jennison Associates LLC bought a new stake in LendingTree in the fourth quarter worth $31,120,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of LendingTree by 1,747.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 546,536 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $20,260,000 after buying an additional 516,958 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its position in shares of LendingTree by 31.5% in the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 1,760,407 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $93,461,000 after buying an additional 421,826 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of LendingTree by 1,163.1% during the 3rd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 263,835 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,078,000 after acquiring an additional 242,947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Grotto Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of LendingTree by 64.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Grotto Capital LLC now owns 584,931 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $31,054,000 after acquiring an additional 228,858 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.26% of the company’s stock.

LendingTree Trading Up 0.2%

NASDAQ TREE traded up $0.11 on Tuesday, hitting $45.98. 11,748 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 331,615. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $39.44 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $44.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.89 and a quick ratio of 1.89. LendingTree has a 52-week low of $32.65 and a 52-week high of $77.35. The company has a market capitalization of $641.39 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 2.00.

LendingTree (NASDAQ:TREE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.38 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.49 by ($0.11). The business had revenue of $319.07 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $321.32 million. LendingTree had a net margin of 15.02% and a return on equity of 17.01%. LendingTree’s revenue for the quarter was up 36.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. Research analysts predict that LendingTree will post 3.64 EPS for the current year.

LendingTree Company Profile

LendingTree, Inc operates an online marketplace that connects consumers with a network of lenders and financial service providers. Through its platform, borrowers can compare loan offers for mortgages, home equity loans, personal loans, student loans, auto loans and small business financing. The company also offers tools for comparing credit cards and deposit accounts, allowing users to research rates and terms from a range of providers in one place.

Founded in 1996 by Doug Lebda, LendingTree pioneered the comparison-shopping model for consumer credit products.